The final weekend of the college football season is here and the stakes in the games could not be higher.
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There is legitimate College Football Playoff drama. The No. 4 USC Trojans are out after their loss to the No. 11 Utah Utes in the Pac-12 title game. The other teams in the top four in the ranking have to survive Saturday to secure or solidify their spots while two powerhouses are lurking to potentially leap into the semifinals.
The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs play the No. 14 LSU Tigers in the SEC title game. The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines face the Purdue Boilermakers for the Big Ten crown. The No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs meet the No. 10 Kansas State Wildcats in the Big 12 championship.
The Bulldogs are likely locked into a spot no matter what happens in Atlanta. USC’s loss is the Ohio State Buckeyes’ gain. Ohio State was No. 5 in the last ranking. Any other slip-ups would put the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide back in the mix.
Here are the top plays, biggest moments, and playoff takeaways from championship weekend.
FINAL: Utah 47, USC 24
Playoff takeaway: Welcome back, Ohio State
With No. 4 USC losing to Utah on Friday night in the Pac-12 championship game, the No. 5 Buckeyes (11-1) should slide right into the top four on Selection Day. The committee will justify the move with Ohio State’s wins against Penn State and Notre Dame, plus its lone loss was to a top-four team in Michigan. It’s extremely unlikely and unexpected for two-loss No. 6 Alabama to leapfrog Ohio State at this point, which is why the fifth ranking was so important. The Buckeyes will maintain their edge over the Tide, whose last hope would be for undefeated TCU to lose convincingly to K-State in the Big 12 title game — and even that might not be enough.
USC’s Friday night flop was an all-too-familiar finish for the Pac-12 with the selection committee watching together here in their meeting room at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas. They’re not going to reward three-loss conference champion Utah with a top-four spot, and two-loss USC simply doesn’t have the defense to make a case as Pac-12 runner-up — especially with a second loss to the same team. Utah should be heading to the Rose Bowl again, but that will be the league’s ceiling this year. — Heather Dinich
Sealed with a pick
Utah rumbles to another score
USC finally finds an answer
Rising takes a big hit
Williams hurting?
Caleb Williams has been favoring his left side and limping during the second half of the game. It’s unclear whether Williams was hurt on his long run in the first quarter, but the USC QB has not looked right since. Williams has been unable to get out of the pocket and is not putting as much strength into his throws. The 20-year-old QB has also been riding the stationary bike on the sidelines, but he’s staying in the game.
Utah takes the lead
FIRST HALF: Utah 17, USC 17
It’s the Caleb Williams show in Vegas. The Heisman frontrunner began Friday night’s game for the conference title right where he left off against Notre Dame.
Williams started the game with a 10-yard run for a touchdown, completed a fourth and short on his own, and then dropped a rainbow to Tahj Washington for 50 yards off his back foot while jumping.
He one-upped himself a drive later, as he kept the ball on a fake handoff, spun around one defender, stiff-armed yet another, and took the ball 59 yards on his own. The run left Williams so out of breath that he had to take a delay of game call on the ensuing play. It didn’t matter: Williams found Raleek Brown in the end zone for six a few plays later.
At the half, Williams totaled 239 total yards and two touchdowns. Yet all of his stats and his highlights have not been enough to put USC ahead. The Utes responded with back-to-back touchdown drives late in the second quarter. — Paolo Uggetti
Utes find the end zone
